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tv   First Business  KICU  March 29, 2013 4:00am-4:30am PDT

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[first business theme you're watching first business: financial news, analysis, and today's investment ideas. good morning everyone - i'm angela miles, and thank you for joining us for today's edition of first business. coming right up: tips to help you buy a new car, including why negotiations start at the test drive. after last's summer's devastating drought that wiped out corn and wheat crops, how traders are preparing for the possibility of a repeat this summer. plus, if you're a list-maker, we'll show you how to save yourself some time. also, a trader clues us in on stocks that could spring up this year. here for a look at the market, matt shapiro, president of mws capital. good morning matt. it
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wasn't too long ago you were on the show, and you were talking about the s&p 500 going to 1600. that doesn't seem so out of the picture now. are you sticking with that? > > absolutely. the underpinnings of the market, and i think what 2013 is going to become known for, is a shift in embracing again equities after years of such high anxiety. i have come across a chart the shows how high the market can go after these extreme periods where there has been a rush into fixed income, and i think we are kind of unwinding that. that is one of the big underpinnings, along with, of course, a good economic recovery and good corporate earnings. > what do you think about a recent call someone made saying that the s&p could go to 1700 this year. is it possible? > > i would hope so. but that is going to be tough. i am looking at the 1600 level. but remember the '80s and '90s, when the s&p 500 was 100. then it went to 300, then it went, of
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course, to 1500 in 2000. but think about it, 12 years later, 13 years later, the economy is producing so much more on gdp and dollar-wise, but the s&p is just finally getting to those levels of 2000. > moving over to the dow, what should investors be doing there? > > i think investors are really embracing the dow and these big blue-chip companies. it has been a great performer so far this year. the dividends that these big blue chips pay are still very attractive. and for the people moving into stocks, that big dividend kind of helps. > matt, i can't let you take off without a look at some names and some stocks that you would want to buy. what is on your list? > > stick to the eternal brands, and i think that is the story of the market. your stocks like 3m, united technologies, ibm, all those stocks are going to do well. but don't forget, of course, your utilities, and those fast-growing companies.
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one i like to talk about his fastenal. i talked about that a couple months ago. > thanks for your help. that is matt shapiro, president of mws capital. it's estimated that there are more than 8.5 million industrial and service robots in use in the world. they make cars, process food and protect us in defense applications. and as our cover story shows you, more of them are being designed to work side-by-side with humans in the workplace. more than 120 companies brought their latest creations that lift, sort and do repetitive motions in the workplace. "we're trying to give the robots more of the attributes of a human, where you have different types, and constantly improving vision systems. we are doing a lot more with force sensing sensor technology." a lot of this is dedicated to heavy-industry. the plexi-glass safety wall, for example, used in this display is often common in the workplace to prevent injury. but now, more robots are being developed to be in the workplace with people standing right next to them. "the robot hits me and i get a message popping up on the screen." "it allows a company now to put a robot in between two
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operators unguarded. so it's a tremendous space savings. you don't have to change any upstream or downstream processes. and it's a tremendous mentary savings. you don't have to invest in a large, six-foot- high safety fence that goes around the robot." since 2008, universal robot, a danish company, has installed 1500 robots in nearly 50 countries including china. but not likely to outsource repetitive electronics work at factories such as foxconn - at least, not yet. "in my eyes, it's probably not quite there yet. there are still some breakthroughs in this type of collaborative robot that need to happen to bring it to that type of level." another development, visual capabilities: the r&d that went into smartphone technology is now being applied to robots. "vision technology is continuing to increase. we are getting into color sensing now. we are getting into using vision systems for inspection, where we can see damaged packages." advancing technology in the workplace has also magnified
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the job shortage in america. according to researchers at mit, they say during the last recession, 1 in 12 people in sales lost their jobs. meanwhile, corporate spending on equipment and software related to sales has increased 26% since the end of the recession. temp and contract employment is expected to hit an all-time high this year. that's according to the american staffing association index. the upward trend continues as companies remain reluctant to fill positions with full-time employees who require paid benefits. dan gaffney, who runs vouchedin, a start-up that matches job seekers directly to companies looking for contract work, says the flexibility of freelancing can be attractive to some job seekers. "people like flexibility and it is growing in the mainstream now. more people are expecting flexibility in their work time, work hours and committment. and contract jobs allow that." gaffney notes ongoing challenges for freelancers include making connections,
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getting hired without professional liability insurance, and collecting pay from employers. while the housing market continues a solid recovery, the appraisal process is hitting some snags. according to the national association of realtors, one third of real estate deals were delayed or cancelled last year. marketwatch reports among the reasons, large variations in home prices in neighborhoods, expensive homes in exclusive areas without up-to-date sales data, and cutbacks in police patrols and school funding, which may change home values in certain areas. competing against big box stores can be a david-versus- goliath experience for small retailers. 30 years ago, hardware chains and independents split sales 50/50. now, chains dominate. as paul eggers reports, it's making survival tough for the little guys. "gracias. que paso malala." jesus davila's hardware store, "la brocha gorda," has been a neighborhood fixture for some
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time, operating in a mostly mexican community on chicago's south side. "the shop has been open for 30 years already. since 1985. yolo que paso como estas!" customers are still coming in, but davila plans to shut the doors in just a couple weeks. after making countless keys and helping out on hundreds of jobs, he's had enough. "let me tell you, i probably can do it, i still can do it if i want to, but i'm tired already." longtime hardware store owner joe fronaczak can relate. "we did work 72 hours a week. we were open mondays and thursdays 'til 9, during the week 'til 8, saturday 'til 7 and sunday 'til 1. management meant you were here all the time." his shop, also on chicago's south side, closed up this past summer after 60 years as a family-run business. "my hope was that my son would take over the store, but there's not enough future for it. you just can't make it
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anymore." the unique charm of independent hardware stores- "these shelves were all made out of scrap wood" -is quickly disappearing from the american landscape. 854 have shut down in the past 5 years according to census data, leaving a little over 12,000 across the country. competition from fully stocked national chains has proven too much for some. 'that's part of the problem with a small hardware store. you just have to carry so much inventory, and sometimes it might sit on the shelf for 5 years. we're just lucky it doesn't spoil.' support from a strong customer base did provide a good living for davila's family. > > how much money do you think you've spent here? "i don't know. it's probably a new car, though!" while great business throughout the 80's and 90's financed college for fronczak's three kids. "my grandkids love to play with
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it." overall, fronczak is proud of his success, even if shutting the doors has been a bittersweet experience. "it isn't so much the store as it is the people. we got a lot of good letters from people we didn't even know. it was good. it was good." economists predict growth in the housing sector will bring a boost to hardware stores, but for some that might not happen soon enough. as kermit the frog might say, it's not easy being the greenest car in america. it takes a combination of high mileage, low emisssions, and there have to be enough of them being made and available to the average consumer. that said, toyota's prius c wins the award from the american council for an energy-efficient economy. second-greenest was the honda fit ev. toyota's prius, prius plug-in hybrid and the honda civic hybrid all tied for the next slots. the so-called "meanest" designation when it comes to the environment went to three ford vehicles: the f-350
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and f-250 truck in their four- wheel drive versions and the e- 350 wagon van. it always pays to get behind the wheel of a car you want to buy before sitting down to negotate a deal. brian moody of autotrader.com joins us this morning with the insider's look. good to have you here. > > good morning. how are you? > you have named the new volkswagen beetle, dodge dart, cadillac ats, and nissan pathfinder as cars that you think are worth a test drive. what do you suggest for anyone taking a test drive in those cars, or any other car? > > what is important to remember is that if you are buying a car, there is no hurry. take your time. take a long test drive. the salesperson is going to want you to get in and get out quick, because they want to move on with their day and sell more cars. you should spend more time behind the wheel so you feel comfortable. also, what we like to do is bring our families, bring our stuff, our kids, our booster seats, our strollers. make sure all of that fits in the car so that the car fits your lifestyle. that way when you get home you're
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not bummed out that you got the wrong car. > what do you do when shopping for a car? > > what matters most is do your research ahead of time. we advise people, don't just show up, because when you just show up, you are really uninformed; and of course, their job is to sell you something. it might not be what you want. do your research first: find out online what cars work for you. do you need three rows of seats or not? eliminate the cars that don't fit your needs. then narrow it down by brand or by make or by model, and once you have a small group, that is when you go down there and say, "i want to test drive this new ford or honda" or whatever it is. > what are some tips on negotiation? > > you should make sure that the car is priced within your budget. and once you do that, and find the cars that you can afford, then you can start negotiating. > is it worth it to know the kelley blue book price? > > it is good to use a source like kelley blue book, because when you look up that value, it gives you a good baseline. it gives you an idea about what you should be paying for this car, or in some cases, what your car is worth if you want to sell it.
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> should you use the invoice price as your guide in negotiations? > > the invoice price sometimes can be a good starting place. but you have to remember, with cars, it is supply and demand. so, for example, when the new corvette comes out, you are not going to be able to pay less than what the sticker price is, and you may pay more, because there is going to be high demand. for other cars, they may not be in high demand, you may be able to pay less than the sticker price. > thanks brian. brian moody is with autotrader.com. still to come, the heartwarming tale of how monks make money. that's later on. but first, crop check. traders are bracing for another drought. what it could mean for food prices. that's after this.
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traders have their eyes on the skies. kevin craney of rjo futures joins us now. kevin, how are commodity traders preparing for crop trades this spring? > > it is certainly of particular concern. when we look at where the drought monitor shows right now, we haven't had a lot of snowfall during the winter, so it is really going to take a lot of rain coming in through the spring season to bring the water table levels up. and that is a concern for the new crop corn that could potentially be planted. so it's something that's on traders' minds, and could be a bullish factor going into the spring season. > who were the winners in the market last year? > > i think the real winners were, one, from a speculative standpoint, the ones who were in the options market early on in the season. we had a big
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planting number last year, and for all intents and purposes, people thought, "hey, we are going to have a lot of corn." but what happened, mother nature worked her magic, it was > what is likely to happen with beef prices? those feed costs are going up. > > when we get into spring and summer, when demand, seasonally, picks up, that's a real concern. you're seeing that further out on the futures curve right now, where traders are actually in the options market. they are playing the futures market out a little bit further. it can really affect consumers, because as we know, we had some tax increases for the new year, and that is less money in consumers' pockets, so higher beef prices may force more of a switch to chicken and other alternatives. > thanks for that update kevin. just ahead, if you're a list maker, we have tips to help you be even more productive. that's next.
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danica patrick: for the millions living with copd, breathing becomes a real struggle. copd stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but you may have heard of it as chronic bronchitis or emphysema. over time, it makes it harder and harder to breathe, until you feel like you're breathing through a straw. copd is the 4th leading cause of death in the u.s. it kills one person every 4 minutes, and it took my grandmother. an estimated 24 million americans are affected, but as many as half of them don't even know it. it's a race against time to spread the word about this serious disease. if you're over 35 and have ever smoked, you could be at risk. the good news is, there are steps you can take to improve your symptoms. i'm danica patrick, and i drive4copd. take action today to breathe better tomorrow. join the movement at drive4copd.com. take our screening questionnaire today, and talk to your doctor.
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you're busy beyond belief. so what do you do to get through the day? you have your daily to-do list, of course. just check off the tasks as each one gets done. but you know, there may be a better way to organize your day. through writing, consulting and speaking, barry molz helps businesses large & small get unstuck, and you have been doing some reading and thinking about this. what's wrong, barry, with the list method? > > well, to-do lists are just all nonsense, bill. what do you do? you get your to-do list, and at the end of the day, what do you do? maybe you've checked a few things off, but then you just keep re-copying it over and over again every single day, and it makes you feel bad. you don't really get anything done. you are busy, but not productive. > kind of a slave to the list. > > it is, of course! > so, what is the better way? > > the first thing to do is, the night before, think about the two things that you want to get done the next day before you do anything else. what is in the critical path of your success for that day? > the most important things or
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the most challenging things? > > things that are going to be critical to your business the next day. and you have to do those two things before you turn on your e-mail, your voicemail, and your social media feeds, because, i have to tell you, we live in an interruption- based culture, and those things just get in the way. > all right, so, i have identified the two things i need to do. then what? > > you do those things to the fullest, and then you can start looking at your list. but at the end of the day, don't carry your list from day to day. the next day, after you get those two things, what is in your mind that you actually need to do? because then you are just a slave to your list, and those things really aren't important if they stay in your list day after day after day. > so you are sort of dividing the day into sections and then matching each section with a priority? > > absolutely. and think about, when is your energy the best for that particular activity? sometimes people are really good in the morning, some people are good in the afternoon. when is the best time to return phone calls? but don't let interruptions get in the way. you drive your day, don't let your day drive you. > it's hard to do, though, isn't it, because that little smartphone on the desk is
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screaming at you to pay attention to it. > > exactly. it is beeping and buzzing and whizzing. it is making all sorts of sounds. in fact, when it rings, it plays your favorite song. > it knows how to get to me. barry molz, thanks so much. > > thank you. beer connoissuers are in for a treat. we'll crack open the story on one of the rarest beers in the world, after this.
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when the monks of westvleteren abbey in belgium needed a new roof, they decided to sell for the first time ever outside belgium, the beer they brew at the abbey. in our cover story, demand has answered their prayers, and those of beer lovers around the world. the devout showed up until they ran out - fans of a belgian beer highly-rated by connoissuers but hard to get beyond the cloistered confines of st. sixtus abbey. "i don't think they sell it outside belgium at all." "my fiance is a huge beer- lover." the monks who brew westvleteren 12 make just enough to sustain
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the abbey. it's tightly controlled - sold one day a month, in limited amounts, two hours from brussels at the end of a long road in flemish pig country. "what they do is sell any remaining to the outside world, to the secular world, to help fund whatever they need at the abbey." the abbey is in need of roof repairs and other renovations. "it's a great cause. everybody needs a roof over their head." so the monks chose to quench the thirst of the faithful by selling their trappist ale at $84.99 a six pack. "oh, hey, i hope they get a really nice roof... maybe even a bigger place." "if you do the math, it's a beer that's never been available here before. it's about $15 for a bottle, plus you get two glasses with it, and you know that your money is going to help rebuild their abbey. kinda cool." only a few shops in america received this blessing. despite one per person - seriously - this shop in chicago ran out by two pm, leaving roughly 3,000 other beers available at this store. "so who's the lucky recipient of all six of these? it's
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probably going to be me. my wife might have one, but the rest will be all me." > > they say this is going to be a one-time deal. "i'd agree with that. westvleteren's very well known as being very, very, very private." however reclusive the monks of westvleteran, their beer showed up on ebay going for up to $350 a six-pack, only a few hours after stores sold out. they may want to rethink that one-time- only thing. that's it for today. thank you for watching. you can find us on facebook and follow me throughout the day @angiemiles on twitter. from all of us at first business, have a great day! [music

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